The tolling of bells echoed over the settlent.
A tentacled cultist stepped onto the wall as a misty tide began to form in the depths of the dark gray gulf, beyond the bay.
Dong—dong—dong—
Suddenly, the bell of another watchtower began to ring.
They glanced over, and the hurried peal of bells spread outward.
Each watchtower's bell corresponded to a single Calamity, and the simultaneous ringing of two bells ant—
— "The Light Stealer, the misty tide."
From the depths of the dark, snow-laden clouds, the silhouette of a gaunt, terrifying, clawed hand rose above the horizon.
anwhile, more echoing tolls carried from the distance, from beyond the settlent's borders.
Ophelia turned to the tentacled cultist:
— The anomaly... nest... is also... warning us?
— "We are the hunters, and also the prey."
Anomalies were never on the sa side.
The reason for their particular fondness for humans was simply due to their weakness and taste.
The raging misty tide spread across the surface of the sea, and the spectral claws rose, obscuring half the sky.
Leaving the walls, the settlent's inhabitants lit huge bonfires in the open spaces to drive away the darkness, preparing for the approaching anomalous fog and the Eternal Night.
Although the appearance of two great Calamities was still untily, Lu Li and his companions were fortunate not to have encountered them on their journey.
As their guests, the Distorted Figure provided them with a room, declaring that they could go anywhere they pleased, including His church.
The silent Lu Li chose the True Library.
At any ti, knowledge is a comfort.
— ...
In the quiet hall of the True Library, Ophelia took a book from a shelf—one describing real adventures exploring ruins—lifted the oil lamp that stood nearby, and returned to the table.
Prusius climbed onto a chair, hopped onto the table, and sat down, waiting for Ophelia to read the story.
To the quiet rustle of turning pages, Prusius turned his head toward the bookshelves, where he saw a tall figure walking with an oil lamp among the mist-shrouded stacks.
The True Library had been perfectly preserved. The books had not been destroyed on that catastrophic night, nor had they grown moldy from Belfast's humidity.
It seed that walking among them cald the soul.
— "What book do you need..." a gentle female voice spoke beside him.
Lu Li glanced to the side and saw Anna standing at the edge of the oil lamp's light, her delicate face tinted by its soft glow.
His dark eyes lingered for a mont, then Lu Li looked away.
— I don't know.
The Distorted Figure, or rather, the Library Spirit, continued speaking softly:
— Exorcist from the past, you are confused...
— I haven't found her.
— The prophet was never wrong...
The Library Spirit carefully pulled a book from the shelf.
— What are you trying to say? — Lu Li asked.
— Exorcist, strengthen your will—
Thump—rustle—
The sound of a heavy object falling and the rustle of toppling books shattered the library's silence, drowning out the Library Spirit's words.
Lu Li looked toward the source of the sound, then glanced beside him: the figure of the Library Spirit had already vanished without a trace.
Perhaps He was never there to begin with; otherwise, how could Lu Li have spoken with Him unhard.
His gaze fell upon the book, which was sticking out by a few centiters. Lu Li reached out, took it, put it away for the ti being, and turned toward the source of the noise.
At the edge of the library, Ophelia stood before a collapsed bookshelf, books scattered in piles around it.
— The pup... found... a book he liked... accidentally... knocked over... the shelf, — she explained hoarsely.
Prusius was nowhere in sight; he was buried under a pile of books.
— Let's lift it.
Lu Li went to one side of the shelf, braced his left hand against the fra, and lifted it with Ophelia.
Rustle—
The rest of the books tumbled from the shelf. They put the books back on the shelf and dug Prusius out from the pile.
He seed fine, just upset with guilt.
— I'm sorry, Mr. Lu Li, Miss Ophelia, I was in too much of a hurry...
— Did you get... the book? — Ophelia asked softly.
— Yes, Miss Ophelia!
Prusius straightened up like a soldier, ran to the pile of books, and pulled out one with a smoking pipe drawn on the cover.
— "The Great Detective Rockwell," my favorite book, and it's even signed by the author!
Ophelia's expression changed, as if she were smiling.
After another apology, Prusius returned to the table with his treasured book and began to page through it, while Lu Li and Ophelia remained behind to put the books back on the shelf.
— I want... to tell... you... sothing.
Ophelia placed the books back on the shelf one by one.
— Your... strength... has diminished, and your scent... is also... no different... from Katerina's. Is it because... of her?
— It has nothing to do with Anna.
— But it... is related... to your... changes, isn't it?
Lu Li fell silent at Ophelia's question.
After shelving a row of books, Ophelia helped Lu Li with his row:
— You... shouldn't... be like this. Emotionless... like the... snow... outside.
Katerina and Ophelia had said sothing similar.
— You... need to... beco part of... the world, to have... those you... care about, for example...
— Companions...
As she shelved the books, Ophelia's burnt hand reached imperceptibly for Lu Li's.
— A lover...
Anna, looking up, tilted her head slightly, gazing tenderly at Lu Li.
— And also... this... rotten... world...
Lu Li said nothing and did nothing. He lowered his head, picked up another stack of books, and placed them on the shelf.
The short conversation ended quickly, and its usefulness would likely only beco clear after they found Anna.
The misty tide and the Eternal Night enveloped the land, while the settlent, with its blazing bonfires, ensured the safety of its inhabitants.
The first misty tide Lu Li experienced passed as peacefully as any other night.
The next day, a ssage arrived from Vinnelag: the Andrea had reached port, and the unconscious Katerina had been sent for dical treatnt.
There was also information about the whereabouts of the followers of the Church of Shadows.
Their discovery was a coincidence. An informant, heading to a tavern after work, happened to learn from a drunken out-of-towner that a young man in his family had joined the Church of Shadows and was heading to a shrine in Himpfast for his "transformation."
Ordinarily, this middle-aged man from the Stervik family would have been hanged for treason against humanity under Vinnelag's laws. But because Lu Li was searching for the Church of Shadows and feared alerting them, the man miraculously escaped execution and is now under surveillance.
The report concluded that Himpfast was rife with contamination, sothing the Church of Shadows could not have avoided, so the so-called "shrine" must be located sowhere in the vicinity of Himpfast.
— You must leave... — At that mont, the Distorted Figure suddenly appeared in the library and spoke.
— Leave?
Prusius was taken aback.
— Leave the church...
— But outside—
— The Light Stealer... and the misty tide—
The Distorted Figure interrupted them:
— A group of heretics is searching for you for so unknown reason. They already know you're hiding here...
— Can't even you handle them? — Prusius asked, concerned.
— I must protect my subjects...
This ant that not even the Church of Twisted Vines could stand against this group of heretics.
— Who are they?
— I don't know...
The Andrea had not yet returned.
But they had to leave.
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